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What City Has the Best Uniforms?

Watching the Tigers-Halos game reminded me how totally awesome the Tigers' home uniforms are.  For some reason this also brought to mind Detroit's other awesome sports threads, the Red Wings' home uniforms.  This, in turn, got me thinking about the following question: what American city has the best uniforms?  Here are the groundrules for this exploration of the truly irrelevant:  

Star-divide

  1. The city needs to have teams in at least three of the four traditional major pro sports.
  2. Other sports don't count (who cares what Chivas USA's uniforms look like?  and since the WNBA's uniforms are basically designed to be faint echoes of NBA uniforms, they're also hardly interesting).
  3. All the city's major professional sports teams need to be considered.
  4. Home and away  uniforms need to be considered, including unusual variations.
  5. Try as much as possible to put aside your feelings about the teams wearing the uniforms (e.g., I gotta admit the Yankees and Cowboys, much as I hate them both, have good uniforms).
  6. You can choose your own criteria, including intertextual ones (i.e. Pittsburgh's cross-sport color coordination), but you should specify those criteria in your comments.
To start things off, let me suggest Chicago as a strong candidate.  Both baseball teams have excellent uniforms (though in the past, the ChiSox war some truly hideous duds).  The Bears' uniforms are also traditional and first-rate. What a nice set of "C"s those three teams have (very different from each other, but each distinctive). The Bulls' uniforms, while not my favorites, are fine. The tricky team here is the Blackhawks, whose sweaters are graphically outstanding, though ethnically problematic (they are a good deal less offensive than Chief Wahoo, though that's a pretty weak argument in their favor).

What town's uniforms do you like...and why?

0 recs  |  Comment 49 comments

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I always loved the old Seattle Seahawk helmets
I have no reason I just thought they were super cool.
"I hate the Angels"

by Vegas A's Fan on Sep 3, 2006 7:07 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

You could Argue
Any of the large cities.

Dallas - Cowboys being America's team, the Stars jerseys with their faint Oakland A's colors, the Mavs with a strong blue, Rangers having that All-American flair

Philadelphia - They have some of the better retro looking uniforms that really reflect the Founding spirit of the city. Flyers, Sixers, Eagles and Phillies having the soaring attitude of patriotism. Now if only their teams would show that on the playing field...

Los Angeles - If you want to find that charter city for Professional Sports on west coast, look no further than our neighbors to the south. LA is a city known for its winners, but it is well known for doing it in style. Purple means royalty, and it can be found on the seats in Staples Center, the Lakers jerseys and NHL's Kings (Although I think they gacked the Purple and Silver duo from Sacramento's Kings). Clippers weren't perennial winners, but they have a sleek Red White and Blue combination going for them. Nobody can steal that trademark Dodger blue and the script "Dodgers" or "Los Angeles" is very Oakland-esque. Angels and Mighty Ducks look very childish, but what can you expect being within walking distance of the magic of the Mouse's house?

Young Flair:

Certain towns may be old, but for the face of their sports franchises, they are quite fresh. Such cities like Denver, Phoenix and Miami feature teams that have had moderate success, but I think they look much better in uniforms than on the field.

Miami has tropical colors from the Marlins and Dolphins, while the Panthers and Heat bring rage in their unis.

Denver still can't wipe away the spirit of the Nordiques with a cartoony foot, a Bronco can be blue and orange, a Nugget rather baby Blue, and they Tap the Rockies with the purple mountain majesty on their logo.

Phoenix just screams desert in all of their sports. Coyotes, Snakes, Cardinals and the Sun itself burn brightly on the playing field.

Not sure which one has the best jerseys overall, but there are a lot of cities to choose from...

It's It. What is it? aim: encryptthisthat

by Hit4TheCycle on Sep 3, 2006 7:22 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

I buy Dallas and Philly...
...as for L.A...Lakers have great uniforms, as do the Dodgers.  Angels and Clips, not so much.  Kings are just plain ugly, IMO (the problem is the graphics not the colors).

Miami: Dolphins, Marlins, and Panthers are all good unis.  Never liked the Heat (that lick of flame off the "t" looks ridiculous, and I'm not a big fan of font in which "MIAMI" is written, either).

Phoenix:  I've always thought the Diamondbacks uniforms aren't as good as their name (the "D" on the cap is pretty ridiculous looking).  Cards have classic uniforms.  I really like the current Suns uniforms (the ones with "PHX" on them are particularly cool).  The Coyotes old logo (with the really Southwestern looking, hockey playing coyote) was much cooler than their new, more generic howling logo. Your point about the desert theme almost works, but it doesn't fit the Cards, who Arizona borrowed from Chicago, by way of St. Louis.

As for Denver: I don't really love any of their uniforms.  Broncos are particularly hideous.  The Rockies are just ok.  The Avalanche (cursed by a singular team name) are a little better (I kinda like the foot).  I guess my favorite of the Denver uniforms are the Nuggets' baby blues.

(I've obviously spent too much time pondering this question...)

"It took eight hours...seven-and-a-half to find the heart." -- Steve McCatty on Charlie Finley's heart surgery.

by GreenNGoldSooner on Sep 3, 2006 7:36 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Diamondbacks
UniWatch mentioned a rumor that the Dimondbacks' uniform, logo, and colors will be changing next season to a more "earthy" red, black and sand and a more realistic snake logo.  

by twinkle toes on Sep 6, 2006 10:22 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Fosse's comment, one game
"Nothing says baseball like purple and teal."
"the poop stain on the collective AN pantalones." -ohad

by ArakSOT on Sep 6, 2006 10:44 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Dallas Stars jerseys...
I really like the lone giant star that goes all the way from the front, over the shoulders and down the back.  Two points of the star down the back, one down each sleeve and two down the front.  Hard to notice at first.

However, the main logo part of the jersey is pretty cheesy.

Bill James on Duane Kuiper: "It's absolutely incredible that a player this bad could be given 3000 at bats in the major leagues." -- Baseball Abstract, 1982

by blueconversechucks on Sep 3, 2006 8:12 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Go 'Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks by far have the most impressive and visually attractive jerseys in sports.
"If my uniform doesn't get dirty, I haven't done anything in the baseball game." - Rickey Henderson

by Durden on Sep 3, 2006 7:39 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

dont laugh
i like the sj sharks

by smasfan on Sep 3, 2006 7:42 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

I actually think the Sharks have the nicest
logo in sports and their home jersey is just sharp.  

by Tyler Bleszinski on Sep 5, 2006 9:00 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Oklahoma City..
With the Rivercats, Yard Dawgs, Blazers, Hornets, Sonics (which I think will be converted to the drive thru logo), Storm, and oh yeah barely making the cut are those guys a little south in Norman (put the names back on the jersey already)
I'm not a big wine guy... Where do you grow the BEER?

by str8tarrow on Sep 3, 2006 8:13 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

River cats???
oh crap, I meant Red Hawks! (blushing crimson and crea)
I'm not a big wine guy... Where do you grow the BEER?

by str8tarrow on Sep 3, 2006 8:14 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

You're crediting OKC with way too many teams
Despite the wishful thinking of the local sport chatterati, the Hornets are headed out of here after next year, leaving the area with only one CP3.  And, though we own the Sonics, we don't host 'em yet.  

The Storm are in Enid (speaking of which...can you imagine what Kareem did after games when he was coaching them back in 2002?  not a lot of good jazz joints in Enid, OK!).

The Yard Dawgs are an Arena II team with a ridiculous name (almost makes one long for the dearly departed Arena I Wranglers).

And really not a great uniform among them, though I kinda like our football uniforms down here in Norman...especially back when the had names on them.  Please bring the names back, Bob, Joe, David, Barry, or whoever makes that decision these days!

"It took eight hours...seven-and-a-half to find the heart." -- Steve McCatty on Charlie Finley's heart surgery.

by GreenNGoldSooner on Sep 3, 2006 8:29 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

is that Courtney Parris?
as in, the one from Piedmont High?
"The hard... is what makes it great."

by Jjjsixsix on Sep 3, 2006 9:46 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

.. and only has one r in her last name.
silly me.
"The hard... is what makes it great."

by Jjjsixsix on Sep 3, 2006 9:48 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I live up the street from the man who
bought them a house to buy his daughter a championship.

by darjeeling on Sep 3, 2006 9:52 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Enid, OK
seems like Enid makes an appearance in the Buffalo News crossword puzzle every other day...all I can figure is that the guy who creates the puzzles (Eugene Sheffer; don't know if they're syndicated or not) must be a native or something.  
I am no drunkard, I'm a hard-working man.

by Cutthemullet on Sep 5, 2006 4:06 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

but...
I'll be really suspicious when Enid starts turning up in the Sudoku.
I am no drunkard, I'm a hard-working man.

by Cutthemullet on Sep 5, 2006 4:07 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I think the Tigers have always
had nice, understated uniforms.  And I dig the Marlins' teal color, but that just may be because I am gay.

Best uniforms of all time, though?  Easy.

1973 Oakland Athletics.

1972...1973...1974...1989...2006

by emperor nobody on Sep 3, 2006 8:47 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Bring back the pill-box caps!
It's hard to imagine this conversation without mentioning Pittsburgh. Each of the major sports franchises wear black and gold.

by slobberknocker on Sep 3, 2006 9:29 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Happy Valley, PA
I've always taken a perverse liking to those fantastic football uniforms.

by Duke of left field on Sep 3, 2006 10:48 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

perverse?
Simplicity my friend, is not perverse.  Embrace your inner un-extravagance.  

No names... not even the name of the school.  I grew up there (my dad taught mycology at Penn State and was an usher on the 50 yard line) so I'm prejudiced, but I've always thought the lack of any extra doo-dads made those uniforms (and the team in them) the coolest.

by Brian in 317 on Sep 5, 2006 7:10 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

OAKLAND
Silver and Black, Green and Gold, and.... yeah, maybe another city.

by kvn on Sep 3, 2006 11:25 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Not Just Any City
THE CITY.

It's It. What is it? aim: encryptthisthat

by Hit4TheCycle on Sep 3, 2006 11:31 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

great jersey
I am no drunkard, I'm a hard-working man.

by Cutthemullet on Sep 5, 2006 4:03 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Out of left field...
..I'm going to go with Minnesota.

Admittedly, I'm not huge on the Twins' uniforms, but the Minnesota Vikings have the greatest helmets (and colors) in all football, while the Timberwolves have great shirts, and the Minnesota Wild have my favorite look and logo in hockey circles. They just look like hermit timbermen in that dark green gear - it's a great theme.

"I smell like a meadow." - Yuniesky Betancourt

by Ozzz on Sep 4, 2006 1:01 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Man...
The Vikings new unis are eyesoric:
Asked where Zito's perfect fit would be, Hudson said, "Do they have a league on Mars?"

by JLaff on Sep 4, 2006 9:59 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Vikings
I love the Viking's colors (and the helmets are awesome!) but I have to admit that I find the contrasting side color panels on the new unis a little distracting.

by twinkle toes on Sep 6, 2006 10:25 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

The 'Burgh
Agree with Detroit.  Think Pittsburgh has a pretty solid linup with the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins.

Toss in Penn State's unis over in Happy Valley, too...

by the stare on Sep 4, 2006 6:43 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Right there with you
My vote goes for Pittsburgh.  The fact that they're all color coordinated makes them even better.  I grew up a Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers fan though, so I'm a little prejudiced on this one.

Back in the day, though, those "the City" San Francisco Warriors jerseys were definitely the coolest things on the planet.

by Brian in 317 on Sep 5, 2006 7:15 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

detroit
the tigers have a nice classic look with the old english "D".

The lions have uniform schemes simple enough to look classic.  

The red wings, well, That wheel ties in with the city.

I am drawing a blank on the pistons though....

Rickey Henderson: 35, 24, hall of fame!

by Athletics fan and runner on Sep 4, 2006 8:01 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Pistons unis = simple and classic
"It took eight hours...seven-and-a-half to find the heart." -- Steve McCatty on Charlie Finley's heart surgery.

by GreenNGoldSooner on Sep 4, 2006 3:41 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Like Detroit and Pittsburgh a lot
As with many here I love the classic strong lines and colors.  

Were it not for the hideous Marlins ensembles I'd nominate Miami as a contender.   The Dolphins and 'Canes especially sport looks which plainly say "this is us," especially at home.  The Heat have a decent set of unis too, in a modern NBA sense.  But the Marlins, ye gads...

"I don't want to 'Wear It.' It doesn't match my shoes." --Jennifer

by FreeSeatUpgrade on Sep 4, 2006 10:33 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

What's so bad about the Marlins?
Even if you don't like teal (and I'm not a big teal fan), their uniforms are classic white and grey, with ever smaller touches of teal, especially since they got rid of the (admittedly hideous) teal caps about a decade ago.

And I positively like the Marlins logo, with its ichthyologically correct fish wrapped around an "F."

Now the Devil Rays....there are some hideous uniforms!  

"It took eight hours...seven-and-a-half to find the heart." -- Steve McCatty on Charlie Finley's heart surgery.

by GreenNGoldSooner on Sep 4, 2006 3:47 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Boston might win the award for
most conservative uniforms in American sports.  The Red Sox uniforms look like they did back when Dom Dimaggio and Ted Williams roamed Fenway (after the obligatory interruption for pull-overs and brightly-colored caps in the 70s).  The Bruins still wear the old-fashioned "B".  And the Celtics still wear the white-with-green at home and green-with-white on the road.

The Patriots, though...they've changed, and the unis are pretty ugly, IMHO.

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Sep 4, 2006 12:25 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Patriots ruin that title
...for Boston.

I think Detroit wins the Most Conservative category, though nothing's quite as conservative as these Lions throwbacks...

"It took eight hours...seven-and-a-half to find the heart." -- Steve McCatty on Charlie Finley's heart surgery.

by GreenNGoldSooner on Sep 4, 2006 3:53 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

yeah, but...
playing in Foxborough, MA, the Pats are actually closer to Providence, RI than Boston.  As for the true Bostonian franchises, definitely the most conservative...the Lions' shade of blue disqualifies them in my opinion.  
I am no drunkard, I'm a hard-working man.

by Cutthemullet on Sep 5, 2006 3:09 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I can't really think of a city where I like all...
of their jerseys, but there are a few that are in my favorites:

Baseball:

A's, Dodgers, Royals, and Orioles: The classic baseball jersey. Nothing looks better than your team name in script on white, and your city's name in script on grey (though the O's have "Orioles" on their road shirts, it still looks good).

Seattle Pilots: Best hats ever. Old-school Mariners' hats are pretty good, too.

Football:

LA/St. Louis Rams: First team in the NFL with a logo on their helmets. I'm not a fan of the new navy and dark gold, but it's still pretty killer.

SD Chargers throwbacks: My favorite football unis. There's nothing like that powder blue.

Basketball:

All the current ones are terrible. The Pistons are the only ones that are acceptable. The Rockets are by far the worst.

Hockey:

Winnipeg Jets. Second place: SJ Sharks, for the teal.

Soccer:

AS Saint-Etienne: Because their goalie (Jeremie Janot) wears some crazy shit during games: a Spider Man jersey complete with mask, red and white polka dots (the teams' colors are green and white), and bright pink camo.

When the lights...go down...in the city...

by senork on Sep 4, 2006 10:21 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

the best uniforms in baseball...
are the pirates'.

all of pittsburgh's uniforms are excellent.

the dodgers and lakers are lovely too.  i even like the clippers'. oakland's got the A's and raiders... unfortunately the warriors have crappy uniforms.

denver has terrible uniforms.

minneapolis has pretty bad uniforms across the board.

detroits' are aight. the red wings are the best in the city though.

by vishal on Sep 4, 2006 11:53 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

the one Canadian city that qualifies...
gets my vote: Toronto.  The Maple Leafs, heated rivals of my team the Sabres though they are, have the best uniforms in hockey.  The Blue Jays can't seem to settle on a logo for their hat, but their uniforms are consistently good (though the current ones aren't quite up to par with the great ones from their championship years...had to love the, uh, double lines of the numbers, and the shade of blue.  The Raptors are the worst of the three, but they're decent, thanks primarily to the fact that they're of the more sleek fabric and jersey cut style (kind of glossy, looks like satin or something, with more fabric on the shoulder...not just thin straps) that only certain teams wear: offhand, I can think of them, the Heat, the Pistons, the Lakers, and the Mavs wearing that style.  I think they were originally made by Nike, but I know the Mavs' are actually Sean John, so I'm not quite sure which company/companies are responsible for which jerseys.
I am no drunkard, I'm a hard-working man.

by Cutthemullet on Sep 5, 2006 3:19 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

based on that...
...I wonder if anyone can guess what my favorite color is.
I am no drunkard, I'm a hard-working man.

by Cutthemullet on Sep 5, 2006 3:21 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

worst
for me the worst qualifiers are the state of Washington (Seattle) and the city of Washington.  The M's uniforms are pretty good, but the Seahawks and especially the Sonics make me wish that red-green colorblindness didn't skip a generation (my father has it).  Overall, I give the slight edge to DC for having the worst uniforms though...never liked the Redskins', and the Wizards' and Caps' unis need to go retro permanently; trade in the turquoise for the red, white, and blue, please.  The Nats' aren't that great either thanks to the grey, though I liked the red ones they were wearing today as Ramon Ortiz pitched like Clemens and hit like Pujols.
I am no drunkard, I'm a hard-working man.

by Cutthemullet on Sep 5, 2006 3:30 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

some of my favorite single jerseys
Ravens' and Jaguars' alternate black jerseys...Raiders' too, not quite as good as the other 2
Bills' pre-2000
A's--classic
Oregon football (love them or hate them)
Da U's football and basketball
Duke basketball, UNC basketball
St. John's basketball, when Artest was there, before they took the names off them...them, Cal, and Cincy were the college basketball teams wearing His Airness, and they were all sweet, but St. John's were the best
I am no drunkard, I'm a hard-working man.

by Cutthemullet on Sep 5, 2006 3:36 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

clarification
"before they took the names off them"...the last names, I meant.  Always prefer jerseys with last names on them; detracts a bit from some of the classics like the Yankees' pinstripes and Sawx.  Also, don't like logo-less helmets a la the Cleveland Browns and Nittany Lions.  Props to the Steelers for only having it on one side, that always posed problems for me when I collected the little ones out of the vending machines as a little kid, and you had to apply the decals yourself...
I am no drunkard, I'm a hard-working man.

by Cutthemullet on Sep 5, 2006 3:41 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Uniwatch
For anyone interested, there's a great blog out there by Paul Lucas (he also writes the Uni column for Page 2 over at ESPN).

Uniwatch Blog

He is, like me, a traditionalist.  So if you like the Oregon Ducks football unis, you won't agree with his taste.  Regardless, though, it makes for some great reading.

by booya on Sep 5, 2006 2:22 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

thanks!
i love that blog, but have not been able to find it for a long time.

by californiagirl on Sep 5, 2006 3:14 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

FUN FACTOID!!
Which major U.S city has the same 2 colors for every major league team??

by OaktownIn06 on Sep 5, 2006 5:45 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

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